It seems so long ago that Tiki Barber, twin to Tampa Bay Bucs cornerback Ronde Barber, was a likeable figure.

He ripped his former teammate Eli Manning and before that announced his retirement from the New York Giants in the middle of the season, then he embarked on a controversial television career (google NBC’s Jenna Wolfe), only to engage in an ugly affair with a 23-year-old intern which led to a nasty divorce with his wife of 11 years, who happened to be pregnant with twins.

Now, Tiki Barber filed paperwork with the NFL to end his retirement and play in 2011. Barber, who played his last NFL game in the 2007 Pro Bowl game, is still property of the New York Giants.

Barber told Fox’s Jay Glazer that his brother Ronde Barber is the inspiration for his return.

“After seeing my brother still have fun at our age, it re-ignited the fire,” Tiki Barber said. “I’m really looking forward to the challenge of seeing if I can get back to the level of where I was. I started working out again recently. It kind of shocked myself. I still had a lot of the strength I had before. I’m really looking forward to making a return.”

Raise your hand if you believe that statement.

Money issues seems to make more sense for the man who vowed to walk away from football with no regrets. NBC terminated Tiki Barber’s television contract with $300,000 a year due to a moral clause. He claimed he was too broke to pay a divorce settlement to Ginny Barber, mother to his four children. And Barber lived in one of the most expensive states in America, New York. It’s no wonder the guy needs to return to football.

During Tiki Barber’s 10-year career with the New York Giants, he rushed for 10,449 yards and had 5,183 receiving yards. He was inducted into the “Ring of Honor” last season — though it was to a chorus of boos. The Giants won the Super Bowl in 2007, one season after Tiki Barber retired.

The Giants plan to release Tiki Barber as soon as NFL labor negotiations are resolved. So what team would make a great fit for a soon-to-be 36-year-old running back?